Arc welding gun
By PHILLIP M. WILSON
You can spot weld, tack weld and burn holes
in metal with this welding gun you can make yourself
AFTER YOU BUILD this arc-spot welder, you'll
find that you can spot weld sheet metal without
a back up, also tack weld, and burn holes in
sheet metal faster than you can drill them. And,
as you use the gun, you'll discover many more
jobs it will do faster, easier and better.
The "secret" of its operation is the copper
nozzle that acts as a shield and heat sink for the
arc. The tremendous heat is concentrated on a
small area for a short length of time, and with
the springs tending to push the gun back at the
same time the rod is burning off, a spot, plug, or
tack can be made in less than a second.
You have a lot of leeway when rounding up
the materials; in fact, your scrap box probably
contains some parts that can be used. Just as an
example, the handle on this welder was originally
part of a toy machine gun. Incidentally, if you
can manage to wangle your son's tommy gun, the
handle will probably need some beefing up. The
best bet is to fill it with epoxy after adding
hardener. If you prefer, pieces of plywood can be
sandwiched together with epoxy to form a handle
like this prototype. When the cement has hard-
ened, the block can be sawed to shape and
sanded smooth.
A saw slot cut in the rear of the handle allows
the clutch knob to tighten the hairpin-shape slide
rod. The knob should be tightened just enough
so that the electrode can be fed with an easy
downward push. An electronic supply house or
radio repair shop can supply a knob of this type
Set the heat as you would for regular welding, push
the nozzle down and then let up for a tack joint. Wear
goggles when working with the arc-gun

or you can improvise one from a l-in.-diameter

plastic medicine-bottle cap, filled with epoxy.
Before the cement hardens, embed a 1/4-20 bolt,
head down, to serve as a stud. The knob on the
conductor screw that holds the electrode can be
made in the same way. Keep in mind that both
the knob and the stud are part of the electrical
circuit and therefore must be made of some
insulating material.
A 3/8-in. hole drilled in the side of the handle
accepts the fiber or plastic sleeve that provides
insulation for the welding cable. Drill a 3/8-in.
hole in the side of the sleeve to take the con-
ductor screw, then drill and tap the front of the
handle for the threaded brass rod that holds the
electrode. Since no great pressure is required,
it is all right to tap the wood, but you can use a
Tee-nut instead. If you do, remember to check to
see that it doesn't make contact with the slide
rod and short it out.
The next step is to drill two holes in the handle
for the slide rod. The holes are 1/4 in. on 1-1/4in.
centers and must be drilled exactly parallel.
The cable used here is an extra-flexible no. 4
rubber-jacket type, but no. 6 superflex would
have been easier to handle. Attach a 100-amp
lug to one end of the cable and at the other end
slip on a 1-in. length of 3/8-in. copper tubing to
withstand the pressure of the conductor screw.
The nozzle holder is 3/4-in. black pipe, 1/2 in..
long. The slide made from a 3/4-in. length of 1/8-in.
pipe is reamed out to 1/4 in. i.d. After riling both
slide pieces to the required 1-1/4in. center meas-
urement, clamp them to the nozzle holder and
braze the joints. The nozzle is secured by two
socket-head setscrews inserted in holes tapped
in the nozzle holder.
A rod guide formed from 1/8-in. steel is press
fitted to a depth of 3/8 in. inside each nozzle. This
keeps the rod centered and prevents arcing
against the side of the nozzle.
The slide rod is 1/4 in. o.d. and is made of
brass, bronze, stainless steel or other noncor-
rosive metal.
After assembling all the parts, clip the cable
lug onto your electrode holder. Use the ground
of the welder in the usual way. Slip a match tip,
self-starting arc-welding rod (available from
mail-order stores) into the conductor tube and
adjust the clutch knob for 1/8 to 1/4-in. space be-
tween rod end and nozzle tip. Then set the heat
at 75 amps and press the nozzle down against
two pieces of sheet metal that are to be tacked.
There will be a slight hiss and a little smoke.
Release the pressure to stop arcing and inspect
the joint. If penetration is insufficient, increase
the heat and the pressure time. For burning holes
it's best to use high heat and a short pressure
time.
When welding together two
pieces of sheet metal remem-
ber that timing of dwell deter-
mines the type of weld. Momen-
tary contact will produce a spot
weld, longer contact a plug weld
on metal
Tacking two pieces of plate
before making a conventional
weld can be accomplished
without the use of a welding
mask because the nozzle acts
as a guard. For safety wear
flash goggles
Spot or plug welding an inside
corner calls for the use of a
special-purpose nozzle
This nozzle holds the welding
electrode at a 45-deg. angle
for tacking or spot welding of
an outside corner
4 5 ° OUTSIDE NOZZLE
Welding a stud to a sheet or
light plate stock is possible by
completely penetrating through
to the stud from the reverse
side of the work
STRAIGHT NOZZLE
The welding gun, shown below with
its four quick-changeable nozzles,
can handle a multitude of jobs